Direct-acting air-compressing engine.



No. 634,339. Patented out. s, |899'. P. BnoTHEHHoon.

DIRECT ACTING AIR GUMPRESSING ENGINE.

(Application led Apr. 24, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet @ML MEM 11 Y /WM zi/WJ we naam: wsrsnepafmolro-Lrmol, wAsmNoi-cn. o. c.

` No. 634,339. Patented out. 3, |899.

P. BROTHEBHUUD.

DIRECT ACTING AIR COMPRESSING ENGINE.

. v (Application led Apr. 24, 1899.) (No Modal.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

@w I @Wag/3?? No. 634,389. Patented Oct. 3, |899. P. BROTHERHOOD.

DIRECT ACTING AIB COMPRESSING ENGINE.

(Application fIled Apr. 24, 1899.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES PAT-ENT FrIc'Er.

PETERBROTHERHOOD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

DIRECT-ACTING AIR-COMPRESSING ENGINE.V

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,389, dated October 3, 1899..

Application iiled April 24, 1899.

T0 all wiz/0711, t may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER BROTHERHOOD, engineer, a citizen of England, residing at 15 Belvedere road, Lambeth, London, England, have invented a certain new and useful Di-y rect-Acting Air- Compressing Engine, (for which I have applied for a patent in Great Britain, dated April 10, 1899, No. 7,496,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a construction of direct-acting air-compressing engine in which a double-acting steam-cylinder has its piston rigidly attached to the piston of an air-compressing cylinder which is connected to a crank, and two other air-compressing cylinders arranged radially around the crank-shaft have their pistons connected to the same crank. I shall describe this construction, referring to the accompanying drawings.

Figures l and 2 are vertical sections on planes at right angles to each other, parts being in elevation, of apparatus according to my invention. Fig. 3 is an external elevation.

a is a double-acting steam-cylinder, and b b b are the three air-compressing cylinders, having their axes arranged radially and symmetrically around a central shaft c. The piston of the steam-cylinder ct is rigidly connected by a piston-rod a to the piston of the adjoining air-cylinder b, and the pistons ofthe three air-cylinders aro all linked. by connectingrods d CZ d to one crank e on the shaft c. The valves for the steam-cylinder are of known kind, operated in the usual way by an eccentric on the crank-shaft.

The valves for the air-cylinders are of the following description: Between the steamcylinder a and the corresponding air-cylinder b there is aspacef, in which are accommodated the stuffing-boxes for the piston-rod, this space having lateral openings to give access to the stuffing-boxes. From this space there are holes through the J[op of the air-cylinder b, these holes being Iitted with annular inletvalves g, supported by springs g and arranged to open downward when the air-piston makes its stroke toward the shaft c. Around the passage to these valves there is an annular channel h, the lower part of which forms the seating for an annular air-discharge valve i, mounted over openings into the air-cylinder. The valves for the other air-cylinders are simi- Serial No. 714,311. (No model.)

lar. vAll the annular channels h communicate with one another by channels j and with a compressed-air pipe k.

The air-cylinders are kept cool by Water cir culating through the spaces l surrounding them.

m is a regulating-valve on the pipe supplying steam to the cylinder c, this valve being worked by' a lever n, which is urged toward the engine, so as to open the valve, by an adjustable spring 0, and which is urged away from the engine,so as to tend to close the valve,

either by a governor p of the kind described in an application for United States patentof even date with the present when the shaft revolves too rapidly or by a regulator q, for which a United States patent was applied for on the 29th of July, 1897, Serial No. 646,409. This regulator is connected. by a pipe r with the reservoir of compressed air, and when the pressure exceeds that to which the regulatorspring is adjusted the lever n is urged outward, so as partly to close the valve m.

Having thus described the nature of this invention and the best means I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim- 1. A direct-acting air-compressing engine comprising a double-acting steam-cylinder having its piston connected to the piston of an air-compressing cylindel; in line with the steam-cylinder, and two other air-compressing cylinders having their pistons connected to the same crank with the other and the aircylinders being provided on their outer ends with apertures furnished with suitable suction and discharge valves, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a shaft, and a plurality of radially-arranged air-compressing cylinders having their pistons connected with the shaft, of a double-acting steam-cylinder having its piston rigidly connected by a piston-rod with the piston of one of said aircompressing cylinders, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PETER BROTHERHOOD.

Vitnesses:

GERALD L. SMITH, C. S. HOPKINS. 

